24 June 1915

HELLES - In the ever increasing heat of June life continued fairly uneventfully for most as the days passed quietly, although rarely peaceful. Dr William Ewing MC CF, Att 4th Battalion Royal Scots, 52nd (Lowland) Division, a chaplain to the forces, described a little incident that in his words "may do something to soften the asperities of war.

"In the little gully running up from the beach, or rather on the eastern side of it, is an old Turkish cemetery. Apparently, it has not been used since some time last cemetery. But Moslems are very sensitive over any seeming disrespect shown to their dead - as, indeed, most people are. This little "God's acre" was quite unprotected, and, without ill intent, foot passengers and cart traffic were beginning to find their way over it, so that the wonderfully well-prepared tombstones were in danger. After conference with Major Blackburn, DA and QMG, Advanced Base, I had it fenced round with strong wooden posts and barbed wire, an act that received approval in high places. A Turkish officer lost his way and strayed into our lines. He was brought down to the base, quite smart in his attire, and manly in bearing. The Quartermaster-General told me in the evening that he had taken him out for walking exercise in the afternoon. They went by way of the little cemetery, "and," quoth the QMG, "although nothing was said, I took jolly good care that he saw what had been done." The Turk made no effort to conceal his satisfaction. Such little amenities may do something to soften the asperities of war."

 

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SOURCE: "From Gallipoli To Baghdad" by Dr William Ewing MC CF (Hodder and Stoughton, London 1917). pp.81-82

 

25 June 1915

ANZAC - Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone, Wellington Battalion, New Zealand Brigade, NZ&A Division had made a real difference to conditions at Quinn's Post. Not only had he reorganised the men's billets in terraces behind the post, but he had seized the initiative in the constant battle of sniping and bombing with the Turks that marked Quinn's as the hottest of hot spots at Anzac. That day he summed up his success in a letter.

"I am extremely busy here. I am officer commanding of this Post one which was causing our Generals great anxiety. I was shifted with my Battalion, from another post, and told that I was relied on to improve things. I have been here 16 days. The Turks [according to a deserter] think our troops here are wonderful shots and on account of the number of men shot in the head and face through the loopholes in the trenches, orders have been issued that men are to keep away from loopholes and when using them simply to put the rifle into position and fire. It has been and is strenuous work, night and day, rifles and bombs. Our daily average of bombs thrown is 182. Our frontage is only 200 yards. Owing to the Turks bombing 50 yards of our fire trench had been abandoned, that is no one could go into it, as the Turks from their trench 15 yards away pitched bombs into it. Bombing cuts two ways so the first day I came in I ordered two bombs to be thrown for every one of the Turks. Result, we have resumed occupation of the abandoned trench and the Turk trench opposite is an awful wreck. The more my men get to do the more they distinguish themselves. I am naturally very proud of them. No better soldiers in the world."

 

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SOURCE: W. G. Malone quoted J. Crawford, No Better Death: The Great War Diaries and Letters of William G Malone(Auckland: Reed Publishing Ltd, 2005), p.255

26 June 1915

ANZAC - General Sir Ian Hamilton - This is more or less a cheery anecdote illustrating the character of both Hamilton and the cheery Anzacs watching him disembark.

Photograph: HMS Mosquito, a Beagle-class destroyer

"Worked till past 11 o'clock, then started for Anzac with Braithwaite per destroyer Pincher (Lieutenant-Commander Wyld). After going a short way was shifted to the Mosquito (Lieutenant-Commander Clarke). We had biscuits in our pockets, but the hospitable Navy stood us lunch. When the Turks saw a destroyer come bustling up at an unusual hour they said to themselves, "Fee, faw, fum!" and began to raise pillars of water here and there over the surface of the cove. As we got within a few yards of the pier a shell hit it, knocking off some splinters. I jumped on to it - had to - then jumped off it nippier still and, turning to the right, began to walk towards Birdie's dugout. As I did so a big fellow pitched plunk into the soft shingle between land and water about 5 or 6 yards behind me and 5 or 6 yards in front of Freddie. The slush fairly smothered or blanketed the shell but I was wetted through and was stung up properly with small gravel. The hardened devils of Anzacs, who had taken cover betwixt the shell-proofs built of piles of stores, roared with laughter. Very funny - to look at!"

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SOURCE: I. Hamilton, Gallipoli Diary, (London, Edward Arnold Ltd, 1920), pp.335-336

27 June 1915

HELLES - After the success of the French attack on 21 June, Hamilton had planned a similar full scale attack on the left flank along Gully Ravine. If success could be achieved, this would position the allies favourably for one last assault on Krithia and hopefully the final capture of Achi Baba, the camel hump hill that had eluded the allies since the landing. There was no lack of preparation for this attack, and in one area a special task had been selected for the 1st Border Regiment.

 

The previous day, both the senior NCOs and officers of battalion were taken up to view a position which they needed to capture in the forthcoming attack. Known as the 'Boomerang Redoubt' it had long been a source of trouble to earlier attacked in the area.

Sergeant Sydney Evans, 1st Battalion, Border Regiment, 29th Division, only landed as a draft on 10 June, this was going to be his first action:

"It has already been attacked three times but owing to its strong defences and the heavy wiring around it the attacks have all failed with heavy losses. Arrived in our front line we view the redoubt through our periscopes and certainly it looks formidable enough, surrounded with a triple depth of, barbed wire. The Commanding Officer informs us that a general attack on a three mile front is to be made on Monday at 11 am and that before the big advance starts this redoubt must be taken and in our hands. The General Commanding the division has entrusted this attack to our regiment and failure to succeed will hold up the rest of the days advance. We are then shown the various points from which our companies will make the attack and full instructions are given to every officer and platoon Sgt. 'B' Company (my own Company) will attack the Boomerang whilst 'A' Company will rush an adjoining trench known as 'The Turkey Trot' when, if both are successful, we are to join forces and hold the position at all cost till the main advance has commenced. The remaining two companies will remain in support."

During 27 June the battalion left Gully Beach to march up to the assembly positions. Evans, wrote:

"The following day was Sunday and was spent mainly in preparation for our journey to the trenches that afternoon when we shall take up our positions for Mondays work. At 4.30 pm we dress in full marching order and set off up the Gully once again. The day is intensely heat, the hottest we have experienced so far and before we have gone far the perspiration is running off us like water. The heat and dust together with the heavy weight of our equipment is trying to the most seasoned veterans and we are glad when we get a halt half way up. During the halt our chaplain conducts a brief service and provides us with an incident which impressed all. Brief though the service is it brings home keenly to all the possibilities that the morrow holds and no church congregation could have been more reverent in its manner than this collection of rough manhood that made up our little Army. At the conclusion, led by the chaplain, the whole Brigade broke into that fine old Hymn 'Abide with Me' and at the concluding lines, 'In life, in death, O Lord abide with me' one felt that never before had any of us sung it with such real earnestness. And so we passed on up the Gully and eventually reached our positions. All is quite so once more we have a cautious peep at the terrible redoubt. It is not re-assuring but as we are to have artillery support to help break the wire it may be easier than we think."

"The sun which had blazed all day slowly sets over the nearby island of Imbros. From our position we can see the broad red path of light which it sheds across the sea turning it into a deep blood red colour. It might be an omen for the morrow for aught we know. There is now nothing to do but post the necessary look outs and wait. The night wears on uneventfully but tired though we are, excitement keeps most of us from sleeping much."

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SOURCE: The Gallipolian, No.45, Autumn 1984.

 

28 June 1915

HELLES - THE BATTLE OF GULLY RAVINE - The opening bombardment for the Battle of Gully Ravine was about to begin, in an attack that was going to be hugely successful. Five lines of Turkish trenches would be captured in a mastermind of operational planning and execution.

Photograph: 460th Howitzer Battery, one of those supporting the attack on the Boomerang on 28th June 1915.

"At about 6.30 am the silence was broken by a peculiar loud whirring noise from behind and we observe a strange umbrella shaped object falling almost vertically from the air. It falls with a tremendous explosion on the "Boomerang" sending up a shower of earth accompanied by a dense cloud of black smoke. We learn that it is a kind of aerial torpedo which a French mortar battery is using to open the preliminary bombardment of the redoubt. They follow one another at about half minute intervals and before long it looks as though the occupants of the enemy redoubt are having a very rough time with it. This goes on for about an hour and a half and in the mean time there has been no return fire from the Turks. At 8 o' clock the mortar battery ceases fire and once more a strange silence falls over the place. Everything is so silent that one can hear the twittering of the birds as they flit about for all the world as though no such thing as war existed." (Sergeant Sydney Evans, 1st Battalion, Border Regiment, 29th Division)

The Boomerang Redoubt bombardment had began, with the first bombs from the French mortars falling on the redoubt with deadly accuracy. Petty Officer F. W. Johnston, a machine gunner, in the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division, RNAS recalls that the bombs

"Flight was easy to follow & was wonderfully fascinating. Reaching a height of, perhaps, two hundred feet and appearing to be directly overhead, it slowly turned over & still more slowly (it seemed) began to descend. It almost imperceptibly drew away from us and landed with a dull thud on the outer works of the Boomerang. A remarkable silence followed & then tons of earth, sections of entanglements, bodies, clothes and limbs were sent into the sky. A terrific explosion of unparalleled violence, causing the earth upon which we stood to tremble & spreading its pungent fumes, like a mist over everything & everyone, was the result. It's terrifying roar re-echoed along the ravine until drowned by the ships' guns at sea. Before the air was clear another torpedo was fired."

Evans continued his account:

"At 9.30 however the battery opens fire again and once more the huge projectiles fall in rapid succession on the redoubt. At 10 o' clock a furious bombardment of the whole Turkish line breaks out, everyone of our batteries joining in and within a few minutes we are in the midst of the most terrific bombardment that has yet been experienced on the Peninsula. Even the ships of the fleet join in and bombard the flank positions near the sea. The din is tremendous and we have to shout to our next neighbour to make ourselves heard."

At 10.40 the order went along the 1st Border Regiment's trench line to fix bayonets as the artillery barrage reached its crescendo.

"One further minute and the word 'Ready' is passed along. In that one minute we unconsciously take one look at the sun and the sea and involuntarily commend our bodies and souls to our Maker - and then before we realise - and then before we realise it a hoarse shout of 'Over' and we are up the ladders and racing like the wind for the redoubt about 200 yards distant."

The bombardment lifted off the Boomerang Redoubt at precisely 10:45, opening the way for the Borders to attack. Three open lines emerged from their trenches, bayonets fixed, advancing through the lingering dust cloud of the bombardment. The heavily fortified Boomerang Redoubt, along with almost a hundred dazed Turkish prisoners was quickly captured. Little return fire was given by the surprised defenders, and casualties were light.

This could not be said for other areas of the line, particular the attack by 156th Brigade.

 

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SOURCE: The full account by Sergeant Sydney Evans can be read in the The Gallipolian, No.46, pp.19-21

 

29 June 1915

ANZAC - The Turks occasionally could not resist testing out the Anzac defences. The Nek was a particular focus of their interest as if they could just push forward a mere 300 yards they would burst through to Russell’s Top and crack open the whole ANZAC Corps position.

Photograph of Ted Henty taken from J. Hamilton, Goodbye Cobber, God Bless You: The fatal Charge of the Light Horse, Gallipoli, August 7th 1915, (Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, 2004), opp, p. 178

The arrival of the 18th Regiment that was attached to Kemal's 19th Division gave him the chance to try his luck with another night attack on 29 June. A thunderstorm added to the febrile atmosphere and both sides were nervy. The Anzacs noticed the stealthy final preparations for the Turkish attack and were full prepared when the Turks charged across The Nek in the darkness of the night at 00.15 on 30 June. The result was a dreadful slaughter as Trooper Ernie Mack of the 8th (Victoria) Light Horse could testify:-

"They attacked by getting out of their trenches and trying to charge us with the bayonet. You ought to hear the roar of rifles during an attack it is something tremendous and you can hardly realise how anything can live through the hail of bullets, as for the machine guns it is something wonderful to hear them when a few get going properly. Our men sat right up on the parapets of our trenches and when not firing were all the time calling out for the Turks to come along and hooting and barracking them. In fact most of our chaps took the whole attack as a real good joke. As soon as they stopped the first rush they jumped out of the fire trench and sat up on the parapets and yelled and cursed at the top of their voices calling out to the Turks to come on they would finish them."

War had never seemed more pleasurable than it did to the men like Lieutenant Ted Henty, 8th (Victoria) Light Horse, as they shot down the attacking Turks that night.

"It was much more satisfactory than the infernal pot-shooting through loopholes though this is fair sport now as we are only about 60 yards apart at the widest and in some places much less than that. To drop so many in that narrow space is not bad is it and speaks rather well for the alertness of everyone concerned as it was a night attack."

When they had finished enjoying themselves there were some 260 Turkish corpses lying in the narrow strip of No Man's Land. The Light Horse would be back at The Nek in early August.

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SOURCES:
E. Mack combined quotes from J. Hamilton, Goodbye Cobber, God Bless You: The fatal Charge of the Light Horse, Gallipoli, August 7th 1915, (Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, 2004), pp.236 & 237
T. Henty quoted by J. Hamilton, Goodbye Cobber, God Bless You: The fatal Charge of the Light Horse, Gallipoli, August 7th 1915, (Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, 2004), p.237

 

30 June 1915

HELLES - The lessons of the 21 and 28 June seemed simple: the Allies needed to focus their attacks but above all they needed more artillery, more howitzers, more high explosive shells and more bombs to help counter the Turkish counter-attacks. The success of their tactics seemed to be further confirmed when the French finally managed to capture the infamous Quadrilateral Redoubt in a a concentrated attack on 30 June. Second Lieutenant Raymond Weil of 39th Régiment d’Artillerie could see the destructive effect of their barrage.

Photograph: Scene at the Quadrilateral Redoubt

"As on the 21 June we preceded the attack with a slow and deliberate destructive bombardment. We had at our disposal shells with the new instantaneous fuses which exploded on impact, which were much more efficient in destroying the trenches and fortifications. The result was that in our sector the trenches were utterly destroyed and when the assault went in at 5.30, it allowed our troops to over-run the Turkish first lines almost without casualties. Carried away in their enthusiasm they didn't stop there but throwing putting improvised bridges over the captured trenches, they continued to push forwards. I soon learnt over the telephone, that our men had gone on so far that we could not follow their progress as they were masked by the crest of a ridge. We even had to stop our fire in order not hinder their movements. At 8pm the gunfire, which had died down a bit, suddenly swelled up violently. It seemed that our troops were falling back in disorder across the crest. They had clashed with several fresh Turkish battalions arriving to the rescue, who had almost surrounded our advanced elements. Without any communications, waiting for reinforcements that never arrived and now lacking artillery support, they had to hastily withdraw."

As on the Western Front it was becoming increasingly apparent that artillery was the dominant force on the battlefields of Gallipoli. If the guns succeeded in their primary task of smashing the Turkish trenches then a successful assault could be made, but even then artillery was needed to cover the gains achieved, or they would soon be lost. By concentrating their artillery resources the French had once again inched forward and The Quadrilateral, so long their bête noir, had been captured - and this time it was held.

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SOURCE: R. Weil quoted in Dardanelles Orient Levant, 1915-1921 (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2005), p.37